Invader
by Cloudhead
Summary: Someone is watching the Organization. He can take down its members single-handedly. No one knows what he wants, what he's capable of or where he's going to be at any given moment. And it would seem that the Keybearers are related to his goal... This is an AU-see my profile. Platonic AkuSaiRokuShi. Rated T for fantasy violence and safety. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Obtained New Story Arc :)**

**Yes, I'm ready to take on another big project. For you newcomers, this is my official AkuRokuShi universe, the Reluctant Father. If you don't want to read the other fics in the series, here's the gist of the major differences: 1) Castle Oblivion hasn't happened yet, 2) Xion is a full member of the Organization, with a Round Room seat and a title (see Castle Cleanup for details), 3)Saix is becoming less 'absolute jerk' and more 'deadpan snarker' (same), and 4) the Keybearers have a temper that makes them **_**freaking scary **_**in the rare moments when it comes out (see Noise and chapters 2 and 3 in Sea-Salt Stories for details). I still recommend that you read the other fics, but you know enough to jump in from here.**

**Anyway, this is the first story I have actually outlined before I started writing it. It is set to be my longest story yet, clocking in at nine chapters of varying length. This can be considered the final part of 'Act I' for the series. Yeah, I outlined the rest of the series, too. :P My goal is a true alternate version of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.**

**OK, that's enough rambling, time for the story. I hope you enjoy. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I do not stand to profit from this work in any way. Developers of KH, you guys are awesome. Can I be on the KH3 writing team? I'll come up with something great, promise. :)**

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**Invader**

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Roxas hated Halloween Town.

The domain of the Pumpkin King was a little scary when he first visited, what with all the surprises, but now it was just annoying. The unique Heartless here were the worst non-giant Heartless, what with their energy-sucking capabilities, and Lock, Shock and Barrel constantly harassed him. And of course, the lame attempts for jump scares made him want to cause a little 'collateral damage' to the town.

Of course, Xion was doing that for him already, as an ingrained reaction to perceived sudden peril. Roxas watched with delight and amusement as his friend whacked the robotic head off yet another stupid 'growling zombie' scare. Xion had never been here before, and was actually terrified by the place. This is a terrible time to try a jump scare on an armed, trained fighter. Really, it was very lucky that all the scares today were inanimate objects, or else Barrel would have had a few conversations with her large, metal club known as a Keyblade.

As the 'zombie' collapsed in a heap of sparking wires, Roxas called to her. "Xion, they aren't real. You can calm down."  
Xion hit the robot again, just to be certain. "They… seem real. Until I hit them, anyway."  
"If you keep doing this, someone will notice. You know how serious Saix is getting about our cover."  
"Roxas, you realize that they probably notice our fights with the Heartless, right?"  
"…I never thought of that before, actually…"

The blond Keybearer moved on quickly before more embarrassment could ensue. Today was a Shadow Glob mission, and while such missions were usually amazingly easy, this time the things were everywhere, in hard-to-reach spots. It was tedious, boring work. Being with Xion made it better somehow, though, despite her reactions to the so-called 'frights'. Actually, those livened the mood a little bit.

After knocking out the last Shadow Glob, the Keybearers started walking back to the RTC point. They were almost out of the square when Roxas felt an arm push him into a wall hard. He summoned his Keyblade, but heard the word, "Sush!" He realized that it was Xion pinning him, while up against the wall herself.

Roxas put away the Keyblade. "Don't scare me like that. What's going—"  
"I said sush!" Xion had quite the whisper-yell, so Roxas shut up as she brought her arm down to slide across the wall more.

She looked around the corner of the building and motioned Roxas to come closer. When he looked, he saw someone. He wasn't quite sure who that someone was just yet. He (or maybe she—it was hard to tell) was dressed in a tattered brown robe, concealing his identity just as well as the Organization uniform. It blew in the wind dramatically, giving the figure the appearance of floating in midair.

"Is that… person real?" Xion whispered.  
Roxas was careful to whisper as well. "I think so. I haven't seen him around before."  
"Is it a Heartless?"  
"No, it's definitely a person."  
"Should we follow him?"

Roxas considered this. They had no clue who this person was or what he or she _or it _wanted, let alone its capabilities. If they were spotted, the confrontation could end badly. Then again, the only way to find out those things was to study him (the default option was easiest, Roxas decided).

"Yeah," he said just as the figure started walking again. "Follow me."

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Vexen was supposed to be doing science today. However, Axel had annoyed him yet again earlier that day, and getting at the Keybearers was the easiest way to hit back. Surely, blackmail footage of Xion tearing up the various pranks around town would be a good way to get them to do what he wanted them to do.

As a shadow started to come around the corner, Vexen reached into his black uniform for the video camera. There was a slightly impressive grabbing scare here, and the replica would surely react with even more violence. Maybe she'd even scream—that'd be useful to get on camera. He let the many possibilities play out in his sadistic mind as the figure came around the corner.

The figure was not Xion. It wasn't Roxas, either. It wasn't even a local. It was the person Vexen would quickly learn to fear.

When the scare was triggered, the figure grabbed the fake arms and tore them from the wall, throwing them onto the ground. His body language, such as it was, hinted at mere annoyance rather than terror. Vexen frowned—things were not going as he planned. That's when the figure spotted him peeking his camera around the corner.

The figure lunged forward, grabbing the camera and breaking it in two on his knee. Before Vexen could react, the figure kicked his legs, knocking him down. The figure came down on him, striking his face with a hard punch and knocking him out. The 'fight' was over in about five seconds.

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Roxas and Xion heard the sounds of combat and ran around the corner, Keyblades drawn. The figure glanced at them and took off, dropping a piece of paper in his midst.

The Keybearers ran over to Vexen. They may have hated him, but they still felt they had a duty to help him. This being a Shadow Glob mission, they had left their potions and elixirs back at the castle. While Xion propped him up on the wall to get ready to carry him, Roxas bent down and picked up the paper.

He was scared by what it said, in blue ink and all-caps:

_14 ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE—MAJOR COMPLICATION_

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**Mysterious Sentence! Being mysterious! That's why they call him Mysterious Sentence! :)**

**Sorry this chapter is so short, I was short on time last night. Chapter 2 will be much longer. That last bit was something I hadn't put in the outline, and it should add good tension for a longer chapter.**

**This fic deviates from my generally humorous, sitcom-like tone and substitutes it for the adventure of the games while throwing in a little suspense and drama for flavor. This will be an interesting test for me. Don't worry—the funny bits will be as good as ever. :)**

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Reviewer Question Time: Who do you think the figure is? This will remain open until the big reveal. You don't have to get it right, you just have to have a good, reasoned theory that I enjoy reading. Answer well, and you may win a giftfic!**

**Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune in for Chapter Two of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in SUSPENSE! (Get this reference, and I'll probably give you something. No internet searching allowed. :) )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, so many gags involving the number two. Which shall I pick? Hmm… OW! Fine, I won't try a lame intro gag this time. :)**

**Yup, it's time for the second episode of Invader. I'll make it nice and long this time around. I have a lot of suspense to go around, so I have the feeling this is going to be one of those chapters that keeps me awake until four in the morning. :) Enjoy.**

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**Invader, Part Two—Hunting Dog**

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"So you're telling me that you saw a suspicious man in Halloween Town?"  
"Yes, Superior."  
"When the place is already filled with vaguely suspicious characters, and you were already on edge?"  
"Yes, Superior."  
"And in the time you followed him, he beat Number IV to the ground, _while he was still at the castle?"_

The Keybearers glanced at each other. They had taken Vexen back to his lab, so he could still get the work he was supposed to be doing done. Of course, when it came time to explain the incident to Xemnas, he had shut his ungrateful mouth.

Roxas turned back to the Superior. "We have proof. He dropped this." He waved the piece of paper in the air.  
Xemnas used a small dark corridor to grab it—he was the only one who had that ability. He read it, glanced at Xion for a moment, then tossed it on the ground. "I find it to be in very generic handwriting. A dusk could have written this for all I know."  
"We're telling the truth!" Xion said just a little bit too indignantly—maybe that glance had gotten to her.

Xemnas raised his eyebrow, and the Bright Shadow sank back into her seat. Satisfied for the moment, he continued. "Of course, I must take all reports of attacks on Organization members seriously. I'll send an investigation team tomorrow. But know this." He leaned forward dramatically. "I won't be happy if this turns up false. And if there is evidence that you lied about this, well… now's your chance to speak up about a lie and not be punished as horribly. Only a day spent rendered mute by nothingness, perhaps."

The Keybearers shuddered, but didn't say anything further. They were confident about this. The Superior stared at them for a moment, then shooed them away.

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Saix stood in the middle of the room, clipboard in hand as always. "XIII, you're with Larxene in Beast's Castle today. XIV, you have solo heart collection in Twilight Town again. And VIII…" He looked over at Axel, who was sprawled on the couch. "…You're with me."

Everyone looked at Saix oddly. He never went on missions, or if he did no one else had seen him do so. Of course, even he had been surprised by Xemnas' orders—the Superior rarely acknowledged the Keybearers, let alone actually listened to them and made orders based on their reports. But a report of an attack on Vexen could not go uninvestigated.

Axel walked over to Saix, stretching as he did. "The Superior decided to believe them, huh?" he said in a quiet voice.  
"Not believe. Merely investigate. There is no proof until the investigation. And I'm not entirely sure they were supposed to tell you."  
"They tell me everything, Sai. Everything."  
"You believe them as well?"  
"I've never caught them in a lie before. I'm guessing you don't?"  
Saix just made a non-committal snort.

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Heart collection was supposed to be simple. It was supposed to be the most basic possible job she could get. Go out, whack this many Heartless, come back. Whack some more and maybe we'll give you something cool.

So why was it hard all of a sudden?

Xion fell to the ground after taking down the last Yellow Opera in the local group. There was a swarm of the electric Heartless today, and they were all over town. But they were still pretty basic—it should have been practice day. But Xion kept hesitating for some reason, giving the Heartless a chance to zap her with their lightning. She would go back into battle and fight fiercely… but then she'd hesitate again, and another bolt would hit her.

She sat on the ground, catching her breath. "I must be going insane," she said to herself. She didn't have any better explanations.

Her mind drifted to the figure in Halloween Town again. Questions filled her mind. Who was he? What did he want? What was—no. In a moment of realization, Xion realized that this was what was distracting her. She had to let go of the figure for a while.

That was easier said than done. It is easy to think about something obsessively, but it is hard to intentionally _not _think about something. The number of hits from bolts dropped dramatically, but she still couldn't get her mind off him. It was those words he had written—_14 not supposed to be there_—she dwelled on the most.

When she took down the last Heartless, she sat down on the ground again, staring up at the clocktower. It seemed almost as though the figure was still watching her. Darn, she was really going insane—now she was hallucinating. It was like she could see him there, on top of the clocktower.

_Wait. That isn't a hallucination, is it?_

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Just as Saix had suspected, they found nothing when they arrived at the supposed scene of the crime.

Axel bent down and felt the ground, looking for the slightest sign of conflict. "Maybe a day was too long to wait."  
Saix crossed his arms. "Or maybe it didn't happen at all."  
"You just don't trust them, do you?"  
"After all the trouble they've caused, I can't say that I do."  
Axel turned around, a somewhat sad expression on his face. "They're good kids, Sai. I thought you said you respected them."  
"I also respect your various absurd hobbies. Respecting something and liking it are two different things."

Axel sighed and went back to investigating. When he looked around the corner, he called. "Hey, Saix, take a look at this."

When the Luna Diviner came around the corner, he saw two robotic arms, torn from their sockets on the wall, and a broken video camera. Okay, that was something. He leaned down and picked the left arm up.

He felt the arm in his hand, inspecting it. "It seems like this was pulled from the wall with great force. There's a lot of damage."  
"Well, I knew that much. Anything else?"  
"Only Lexaeus would have the strength to do this, and he had already returned from his mission when this supposedly happened. Whoever or whatever did this is definitely not Organization, and it's strong."

Saix put the arm in his coat pocket and picked up one of the pieces of the camera. "More of the same," he said. "Even a Keyblade would only dent this. The Keybearers definitely didn't fake this."  
"What did I tell you? They don't lie."  
"I never said that they were right. This might be from a different incident." He looked at the bottom of the camera. "Looks like this was broken on something round. A knee, maybe."  
"Man, Saix, you're practically a hunting dog."  
Saix tried not to shoot a death glare. "That better not have been intentional."  
"Not intentional, sorry. You really should lighten up a little, though."  
Another non-committal snort. They were so useful…

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No way was Xion letting the Figure get away again. She summoned her Keyblade and quickly dark corridored to the top of the tower. The Figure was already running, heading into the maintenance door and moving down the steps. Xion tried to get a spell off, but then she realized she had used them all up fighting the Heartless. Muttering words Axel had advised her to avoid, she ran down the steps after him.

Just as Xion was about to get close to him, the Figure jumped into the clockwork of the tower, using parkour to get around the various gears. She considered following him, but then thought better of it—the one time she had tried true parkour, she had gotten her face scrapped up by the stone so badly that Roxas had actually let out a small scream when he saw her. _Why is everyone else so good at this, _she thought as she dark corridored to the train station to await the figure's arrival at the bottom.

She watched from below as the Figure jumped onto a steam pipe on the wall and slid down it at incredible speed to the bottom. When Xion took a swing at him with the Keyblade as he reached the bottom, he rolled under it, grabbing it as a lever to swing her out of the way. She only stumbled for a moment, but a moment was all the Figure needed. He ran off, much too fast for Xion to catch up in time.

Xion fell to her knees and screamed in frustration, pounding the ground with her fist. If she had a ranged weapon like Xigbar, or if she had even had any spells left, the Figure would not have gotten away. It always turned out this way, somehow. The multiverse seemed to be conspiring to frustrate her at every turn. What had she ever done to deserve it? She was one of three people in the Organization who wasn't a complete jerk, maybe four if you counted Saix, and he still had his moments.

She pounded the ground again. "Why is everything so _hard?!"_

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Axel and Saix came back with the evidence. Roxas was already in the common room, bouncing his foot impatiently. When he looked up at the two, Axel gave him a thumbs up and a smile. He nodded, but didn't seem any less worried.

Saix looked at Axel. "I'll take these to the Superior. You can do whatever you do in the evenings."  
"You know what we do in the evenings, Sai."  
"Because you don't let me forget, especially when I try to give you real work to do…"

Axel walked over to Roxas and sat down next to him. "Hey, Rox."  
Roxas' non-committal snort put Saix to shame.  
"Are you okay?"  
The boy finally broke his silence. "Xion isn't back yet."  
"Sometimes she takes a while. You know she can be a workaholic."  
"I still think we should check on her."  
"We're headed to Twilight Town anyway, so today's your lucky day." Axel got up and opened a dark corridor. "Come on."

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Xion was still crouching on the train station floor when Axel and Roxas materialized outside the tower. She was wiping a few small tears that had welled up in her eyes. Roxas saw her through the window immediately and ran over.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, leaning down.  
"I… saw him. Chased him… he got away. Just like last time… just like every time I try anything…"

Roxas looked up at Axel worriedly. The Flurry of Dancing Flames pulled Xion up, patting her on the shoulder as he did. "Come on. We'll get some ice cream, then we can talk."

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It took a few bars for Xion to tell the whole story. She would fall silent every other sentence, and either Roxas or Axel would have to encourage her to go on. She was also plowing through her ice cream, trying to act more interested in it than in the conversation. Nonetheless, she managed to finish within the hour.

When she finished, put his hand on her shoulder again. "Don't worry about it. We saw the stuff this guy broke, and he took down Vexen apparently unarmed. He's tough. You don't need to feel bad about him getting away."  
Xion sighed and stared off into the sunset. "But it's every time, Axel. I can never get anything right."  
"Don't talk like that, Xi, because it isn't true. I've seen you out on the field—you're amazing with that Keyblade. And you're singing is the best I've ever heard out of anyone, ever."  
Xion smiled for the first time since they found her in the station, though it was a small, sad smile. "You really think so?"  
"Yeah, I do. You are great at a lot of things, Xion, and I know you can do anything you put your mind to."  
"Thanks." She looked toward the distance again. "There's another thing. That note… it said I'm not supposed to be here. Like I'm not supposed to exist or something. And when Xemnas looked at me after reading it…"  
Axel hugged her. "No one gets to say that while I'm still breathing. No one. He'll pay for that."

Xion just let herself become absorbed in the hug.

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**2,040 words. Told you it'd be longer. :)**

**Xion is trying to steal the spotlight again. I'll tell all you newcomers now: I like Xion. If you don't, I respect your opinions, but you'll just have to deal if you want to read the fic. I recommend reading the manga, because she's better in it and because it's what my interpretation of her is based on. You've been warned.**

**Anyway, a quick note: In my headcanon, the kids sit to either side of Axel on the clocktower, even though Roxas is in the middle in the game. It makes scenes like this a little easier. I mean, can you imagine Axel trying to go around Roxas to hug Xion? They could fall off! :)**

**Begin rambling. I took a few quizzes, and apparently I'm most similar to Sora or possibly Ventus. Now, I think I'm too brooding to be one of the Soras, and I'm not Batman-esque like Riku, so I mostly compare myself to Xion, at least my headcanon version of her—probably why I like her so much. But hey, the shippers always pair the Soras up with her, so I guess that's a perk. :) End rambling.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Maybe I need to change up my outro a bit, because this is getting a little repetitive. :) But do give a review if you enjoyed! There's a box right there…**

**Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune in for the Chapter 3 of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… what? 4:15 AM?! I was joking, for crying out loud! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**What? I'm writing during the day? This is amazing! :)**

**Yup, I'm clacking away at the keyboard to get this out on time, despite devoting last night to Sea-Salt Stories. I will accomplish this feat, no matter what it takes! All for your entertainment. So, sit back and enjoy the third gripping chapter of Invader…**

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**Invader, Part Three—Lucky Draw**

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"So not only do you have evidence that a confrontation occurred, but XIV claims she saw this 'Figure' again?"  
"Yes, Superior."  
"In that case, we must redouble our efforts. Can you send XIV to Twilight Town again?"  
"Superior, she's gone there three days in a row. I was planning to send Roxas today."  
"Surely, switching the two won't make much of a difference. And I think I know what he's after. Send XIII somewhere else."  
"…Yes, Superior."

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Roxas was extremely disappointed to learn he was going to Wonderland for the second day in a row. He was also disappointed to learn he was going with Luxord, who usually only interacted with him to beat him at Go Fish _again._

When the two arrived, Roxas was already getting his Keyblade ready. "Can we just get this over with and go home?"  
Luxord scoffed. "Now, boy, Wonderland is a beautiful place. There's nothing wrong with taking the time to smell the roses."  
"Don't smell them too much, or they might do something weird to you, just like every other plant here…"  
"You're starting to pick up on Axel's attitude. I prefer it when you're clueless."  
Roxas looked indignant. "I'm not clueless!"  
Luxord just gave him a knowing smile as he walked off toward the forest.

Today's goal was twofold. First and foremost was, of course, to collect hearts as usual. The other goal had been assigned to everyone else, as well—if the Figure was recognized, he was to be captured at all costs. All hands were on deck for this job—Even Saix had been sent out again, scouting various worlds with Xigbar. Only Xemnas had stayed behind, and he was ready to leave at any moment, should someone find the Figure and apprehend him.

As Roxas sliced through the last Blue Rhapsody rather aggressively, a question suddenly popped into his mind. "Why does Xemnas want to find this guy so bad?"  
Luxord looked at him like he was dumber than a rock. "Because an attack on the Organization cannot go unpunished. If you hurt one of our number, you declare war on us all, a war which you will lose."  
Roxas was in a bad mood today, and decided to push his partner. "I bet you wouldn't say the same thing if it had been Xion instead of Vexen. Would you?"  
Luxord raised his eyebrow and stared for a long moment. "You talk too much," he said finally.  
"That isn't an ans—"  
"Sush!" Luxord pushed Roxas up against a tree. Before he could protest, the bearded man pointed. "Is that your mystery person?

Over by where Luxord was pointing, a figure in a tattered brown cloak stood, taking in his surroundings, as if searching for something.

"That's him!" Roxas yelled.  
The Figure whipped around and got into a martial arts stance. Luxord sighed. "Get his attention and make everything harder for us, why don't you? Typical…"

The Figure started to run, but Luxord brought up a wall of cards. He strolled over casually. "Now, now, no fancy jumping around this time, my friend. Let's fight like real men."

The Figure threw a punch, but Luxord grabbed his arm and put him in a headlock. "No kung-fu, either. I decide the rules of this game. Now, let's see who you are…"

The Figure kicked back, knocking Luxord down. He stomped Luxord's face a few times before picking up one of the cards that had fallen on the ground. Roxas was already running at him with the Keyblade, but the Figure simply moved out of the way, like a bull fighter, causing Roxas to run into the wall of cards. A roundhouse kick from behind knocked Roxas down while he was still stumbling.

The Figure stood over Roxas for a moment, seeming to hesitate. This gave Luxord enough time to get up and throw cards at him. The Figure actually grabbed the cards and threw them back, knocking Luxord down again. He looked down at Roxas one more time, then shook his head as he sliced open the wall with the card he had picked up first, shattering it.

As the Figure ran away, jumping around the large mushrooms, Roxas fought his headache and got off his last Blizzard spell. The Figure managed to dodge it, but only barely. As he dodgerolled, he dropped another piece of paper.

Without bothering with a futile chase, Roxas cast Cure on Luxord, who was still lying on the grass, catching his breath. Luxord got up and dusted himself off. "So he's real," he said, still clutching his right hip. "And he's tough as nails. No one has ever defeated me so quickly."  
"Yeah," Roxas replied. He had something else on his mind. The way the Figure had looked down on him, it was almost like he had been… _considering _something. Roxas didn't know what, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

Luxord strolled over to the piece of paper, picking it up. "Well, well. It would seem our mysterious friend has a penchant for cryptic notes. Get over here—you'll want to see this."

Roxas picked up the paper. He had to read it a few times to comprehend it.

_DON'T FOCUS ON 14—13 IS GOAL. TIME RUNNING OUT!_

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Xion wiped her brow as she took out yet another group of Heartless in the forest near the mansion. She wasn't sure why she was getting sent to Twilight Town so often these days, but she wasn't complaining. It always felt like sunset here, giving the town a brilliant orange hue. And of course, the clocktower looked nice even when she wasn't sitting on it, looking at the world below.

Not that she could really admire either aspect in this forest, of course. She supposed that the mansion was supposed to be pretty, but really she just found it creepy, like a haunted house. For some reason, it felt far too _familiar, _which really spooked her.

She checked the little wristband that showed her mission gauge. The minimum heart quota had been met. Normally, she would stick around and fill it to maximum for more mission rewards, but all the Heartless were near the mansion today, and she just wanted to leave. She started walking back toward the RTC point, but then she heard footsteps nearby.

She turned around and saw the Figure. He was walking toward the mansion, occasionally looking around to see if anyone was there. Xion gasped involuntarily, making the Figure notice her.

He ran, jumping onto the fence and climbing it faster than she had ever seen anyone climb anything. Xion knew she couldn't take him on, but this time she had a different plan. She fumbled with the small camera Axel had given her for just such an occasion. She managed to snap a picture just as the Figure made it over the fence and ran off toward the mansion.

Xion stared at the photo captured on the screen. It was blurry, but it would have to do. She was actually proud of herself—she had never tried photography before, and she thought she had done well for a first time.

She RTC'd with confidence, knowing that the Figure's days of running off without a fight were now numbered…

0=0=0=0=0=0'

Axel looked at the photo, taking another bite out of his ice cream. "We're definitely showing this to Xemnas. What did I tell you, Xi? You are going to be helpful with this."  
Xion pumped her fist, an unusually cheerful move for her. "Yes!"  
Axel looked around dramatically. "Now, where did my little shy girl go?"  
Xion giggled. "I'm not always shy!"  
"Clearly. Now, what did you get, Rox?"  
Roxas handed Axel the paper. "It kind of creeps me out."

Axel read the words over and over, frowning. So Roxas was the real goal? But why? And time was running out? What happened when time ran out? So many questions, so few answers. Axel hated situations like that.

He shook his head. "Yeah, we're showing this to the Superior, too. Watch your back, Roxas. I don't know what this guy wants with you, but whatever it is, I don't like it."  
Roxas looked worried. "What if he manages to get us?"  
"Then he'll get burned to a pile of ash. He can count on that…"

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Xemnas looked over the note and the photo, then turned to Saix. "Just as I suspected—he's drawn to the Keybearers for some reason. We can use that."  
Saix blinked. "Superior, as much as I want to capture this man, I do not relish the idea of using Roxas and Xion as bait."  
"Number VII, if you are to become comfortable with our use of XIII and XIV again, you must remember that they are a means to an end. You are becoming too attached to them, especially the puppet. Don't sacrifice our goals for it."  
"Her."  
Xemnas raised his eyebrow. "Hmm?"  
"I… believe it would be prudent to refer to her as a person, Superior."  
Xemnas kept up the raised eyebrow. "You've changed, Number VII. I told you not to grow attached to the children as VIII has."  
"Attached? Nonsense. I merely think that they should be treated as members of the Organization. It makes them work harder for us, remember."  
"They are weapons, Luna Diviner. Never forget that."  
"What makes you think I have, Superior?"  
"…Fine. Don't grow attached to… her."

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***puts on best radio announcer voice* The Gambler of Fate taken down with ease. Another cryptic message. Tensions rising between two leaders of the same group. So goes the gripping tale of Invader, the most suspenseful Kingdom Hearts fanfiction on FFN. *coughs* Man, that was cheesy. :)**

**Okay, I managed to finish this before the deadline. That's good. I think I'll stick to writing by moonlight, though—this was hard at times. I'm just more used to nighttime writing.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Reviewer Question Time: How are my action scenes coming along? Good critique, of both strengths and flaws, gets a giftfic. I want to improve. :)**

**Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune in for the most exciting chapter yet of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… (SAY IT!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**It is time for the fourth riveting chapter of Invader, the most suspenseful KH fanfic ever to grace the internet. …What's that? What do you mean, I can't make that claim? OK, **_**possibly **_**the most suspenseful KH fanfic ever to grace the internet. Happy? :)**

**Yes, here we are again, with more chills and thrills for the people of the KH fandom. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for all the praise that you've given my various fics. It means a lot to me. You guys are great. :)**

**And without further ado, let's get to Chapter 4, where the action ramps up a notch…**

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**Invader, Part Four—Harmonious Chaos**

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The gathered Nobodies were the largest mission group ever assembled. Three, even four people on one mission was rare, but not unprecedented. But _six, _nearly half of the entire Organization, was unheard of. Xemnas had chosen the best of the best, the most skilled people in a group of fourteen very skilled people.

Actual mission strategy meetings were also new. For the most part, threats could not be anticipated, and if they could, it was up to the individual member to come up with a plan of attack. In this case, though, it was necessary. This man was bred for combat. If he could take down a master of time without breaking a sweat, then a new strategy was needed.

Saix stood over the map. "I have chosen a new world for this operation. It's called Destiny Islands. It's a large, open area with lots of environmental objects we can use to our advantage. I believe Number XIV has made pleasure visits there before, correct?"  
Xion nodded her head. "Yeah, I love that place."  
Saix looked her in the eye. "In that case, you should know the lay of the land. Do you have any ideas on where we can catch our man?"

Xion widened her eyes, taken completely by surprise. Sure, Saix was getting nicer, but letting her participate in strategy? She was not used to this at all. Everyone else looked surprised, as well—they thought Saix had made the whole plan already and he was just there to explain it to them.

She studied the map carefully. "Um, I think we can corner him here." She pointed to a small shack. "I went in there once—there's nothing in there and it's small. If we can get him inside and cover the exits, it'll make our job a lot easier."  
Saix was looking at where Xion was pointing, nodding his head. "Good plan. Even I didn't think of that."

Xion smiled, pleased with the idea that she had just been a better strategist than Saix. Marluxia looked skeptical. "It works in theory, if we can get him inside. But getting him inside will be the tricky part—certainly, he wouldn't be stupid enough to just let us corner him like that.  
Xigbar snorted. "That's easy. I'll just suppress him with my arrowgun. He'll go running in there with his tail tucked between his legs."  
Roxas looked confused. "But he doesn't have a tail…"  
Axel pretended to write something, elbowing Roxas. Then he thought of something. "He's used to close-quarters combat, though. The small space will be just as much a disadvantage to us as it will be for him."

Xion frowned and went back to searching the map. "Then how about here?" she said, pointing towards a smaller island just off the main one. "It's large enough for us to keep the space advantage, and unless he wants to swim, it only has one entrance. And Xigbar could keep shooting at him from the big island, too."  
Axel beamed. "Xi, you're a genius."

Saix clapped his hands together and pulled out some figurines. They were miniature models of everyone on the mission, plus an extra one of the Figure, hastily made based on Xion's photograph. They weren't just standing, either—they were all making signature poses with their weapons, with the Figure in a dramatic crouch, as if he had just fallen from the sky, his robes flying up, just as in the photograph.

Xigbar smirked. "Saix! I had no idea you made us all action figures."  
Axel held his figurine for a moment. "That's just creepy."  
The Keybearers were mesmerized by their likenesses, either in we've-got-action-figures bliss, or in what-the-fudge horror—it was a little hard to tell. Saix sighed. "They're really not that special. I use them when I set up missions for you. They help me think."  
Xigbar was still smirking. "I bet you use them to play House, too." He picked up his figurine and moved it up and down in front of the Saix figurine, as if it were bowing. "I am your humble servant, Luna Diviner…"  
Saix did his usual deadpan expression and turned to Axel. "Remind me to send him against an Infernal Engine solo when this is all sorted out."  
"Oh, I will, Sai, I will…"

Saix grabbed the figurines and placed them around the map. "Xigbar will force the Figure onto the island with his arrowgun. Then, Axel, Marluxia and I will apprehend him. The Keybearers are to provide support."  
Roxas had an offended expression on his face. "Why do we have to be 'support'?"  
Axel patted his head. "Because if that guy can take down Luxord, he's certainly able to eat you and Xi for lunch. Don't worry—you'll have plenty of work to do." He looked back up at Saix. "Sounds like a plan to me. When do we start?"

Saix made some notes on his clipboard. "We set out tomorrow. We'll be up at six o'clock sharp, have a good breakfast, go through usual pre-mission preparation and leave for Destiny Islands at nine. For now, we sleep. Get as much sleep as you can."  
Axel laughed through his nose. "Never thought I'd hear those seven wonderful words out of your mouth."  
"I need you fully rested for the mission. It could be our greatest challenge yet…

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"Axel?"

The red-haired Nobody looked at his friend. "Xion, Saix said to get lots of sleep."  
"I know, it's just… I can't sleep. I'm a little scared about tomorrow."  
"Xi, I'd never let that guy hurt you. And here's a well-kept secret, known only to awesome people like you and me. Bravery isn't not being afraid. It's being afraid, but doing it anyway."  
It was so cheesy that Axel cringed a little inside, but it seemed to do the trick. "Thank you," Xion said, smiling.  
"Any time, Xion, forever and always."  
She looked at him innocently. "Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

Axel was taken aback for a moment. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. Then he sighed and turned back to Xion. "All right. Just sleep on the floor, otherwise… well, let's just say people might get the wrong idea."

Without another word, Xion curled up on the floor. A few minutes later, she was making that cute little snore that sounded a bit like a bird. Axel stared at her for a moment—_why does she have to be so darn cute like that_—and then set to the task of convincing himself of the truth in his own cheesy lines.

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Xion didn't like that half the Organization was coming to the island. She had always thought of it as her own personal space, known only to herself. Of course, she realized that she should have known everyone else would find out eventually, but she didn't know that they Saix had _already known, _and hadn't said anything. In Xion's mind, that spoke volumes about how nice he had been getting since the decluttering job.

As she knew the island best, she was to be the first in. The six stood around her, waiting for the dark corridor to be opened by her. Xion did like the idea that they were waiting on her—even petty power was more than she usually had, and she allowed herself a brief moment to bask in it.

Almost as an afterthought, Saix quickly stuck a note on the wall: _DAY OFF TODAY. _When he noticed Xion's puzzled look, he looked her in the eye. "So that our mission stays a secret until the Figure is captured. We don't want outside interference."

With a final sigh, she opened the dark corridor, and six Nobodies passed through, ready for the fight of their lives.

…Which they did not find when they stepped through. Destiny Islands in the morning was actually pretty peaceful, as far as mornings in the multiverse went. A soft breeze blew through the trees, and the sunrise looked just as pretty as the Twilight Town sunset. It suddenly occurred to Xion that the trio could spend a day off here at some point. The idea made her happy, but first she had to get the Figure. Of all possible things, it was the idea of eating ice cream here with Roxas and Axel that motivated her for the battle.

Saix turned to the Organization members, his carefully selected team of experts (and, if Axel's mutterings were to be believed, bait). "Get to positions, people. We have a job to do."

Xigbar drew his arrowgun, ready to blast anything that moved. Marluxia walked along the beach toward the smaller island, scythe in hand, as if out on a casual stroll. Axel and Saix drew their weapons and ran to their positions near the island. The Keybearers stood back to back, Keyblades drawn, ready for anything.

For a moment, no one moved. The breeze stopped. Everything was still.

Roxas looked around. "Do you think he's coming?" he whispered.  
Xion gritted her teeth. "I know he is."

For a few more seconds, Destiny Islands was in perfect harmony. Too bad that moment was so brief.

Someone jumped out of a window on the cliff, falling an incredible distance, but still managing to land as soft as a cat. He stood near the waterfall for a moment, waiting for provocation from the assembled Nobodies.

Saix called. "We have you surrounded. This is your last chance to surrender before we are forced to capture you by force."

The Figure did not respond for a moment. Then, he ran at the Keybearers at full speed.

_Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!_

Xion wasn't the biggest fan of loud noise. It scared her a lot, actually. Gunfire, however, was usually accompanied by a bigger threat—in this case, the man who had taken down the Gambler of Fate unarmed running straight for her. Thus, she successfully managed to focus on the Figure rather than the continuous sonic boom going on just to her left. She still flinched, though, and that was all the Figure needed, for they did not account for the fact that he was possibly the most agile person outside Organization XIII.

The Figure rolled under the arrows, grabbed Xion's Keyblade and tore it from her hands—she let go by instinct, since the pull was so great it felt like her arms would have come out of their sockets otherwise. With amazing skill, he slammed it into Roxas' belly, knocking him down, then followed up on Xigbar by using the Keyblade to knock the gun out of his hands.

Grabbing the gun in midair, he opened up on the three Nobodies near the island, who were already running. Luckily, he did not seem adept with the weapon, missing a lot of shots a skilled marksman would have made with ease. Axel was on him in seconds, spinning his chakrams almost wildly. The Figure dodged again, causing Axel to hit the sand and make a small dust cloud.

He swung the Keyblade—_Xion's _Keyblade, she kept thinking—at Saix repeatedly. The Luna Diviner parried multiple blows with his claymore before going on the aggressive, pushing the Figure toward Marluxia. The Figure jumped over Marluxia's swinging scythe, hitting the Graceful Assassin upside the head with the Keyblade as he did.

As Marluxia fell to the ground, Xion ran at the Figure. That was _her _Keyblade he was using, and she wanted it back _now. _She tackled him from the side, taking him completely by surprise and knocking him down. She grabbed the Keyblade he had dropped and slammed the ground over and over, trying to hit him. Adrenaline and anger fueled her. _Wham! Wham! Wham!_

He tripped Xion, giving himself enough time to roll backwards and bounce back up. He roundhouse kicked Saix, who was coming around from behind, and took his claymore. He swung just as he had swung the Keyblade. Xion and the Figure were now engaged in a duel. Metal clanged against metal, and Xion could hear a strange sound in her ears, like rushing water.

Roxas ran at the Figure and swung at him from behind. Apparently detecting the swing, the Figure ducked, causing Roxas' Keyblade to slam into Xion's face by accident. He cringed as she went down. "Sorry!" he yelled, before casting Cure on her.

Xion was _very _miffed—that had _hurt_—but luckily, she blamed the Figure rather than Roxas. She kicked the Figure, causing him to stumble. Axel had gotten up by this point, and threw one of his chakrams at the Figure. He knocked it back with the claymore, but the distraction gave Saix enough time to grab his arm from behind and twist it tight.

The Figure kicked Saix, breaking the hold, and opened a dark corridor. But wait—it wasn't a dark corridor. Dark corridors were black, while this portal was the same shade of blue as sea-salt ice cream. He jumped through just as Xion tried to stab him from behind with the Keyblade.

Everyone stood for a moment, catching their breath. As the adrenaline wore off, Xion felt the pain of her injuries. Roxas' Cure spell meant that she had no broken bones or other serious injuries, but the pain was still there, and it was immense.

Xigbar dusted himself off. "That went well…"  
Xion whipped around to face him. _"Shut. Up. _For once in your life, _shut your mouth!"_

The Freeshooter put his arms in the air in a defensive position, but didn't say another word. The five Nobodies kept their eye on Xion as she watched the sun finally finish its ascension over the horizon.

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**Now, try to look me in the eye and tell me that didn't look awesome in your head. Come on, look me in the eye. Can't do it? That's what I was hoping for. :)**

**I'm pretty proud of that little fight scene. I daresay it's my best yet. The pace was fast, the action was intense and it would all look really cool as a cutscene. Of course, that's my personal assessment, which might be a bit biased. :) I'm certainly interested to see what you guys think.**

**Credit where credit is due: The idea of Xion being scared of loud noises came from Raberba Girl's fic Raindrops and Whiskers. She's specifically scared of thunder in that one, and I decided to broaden the idea a bit. Yes, battle is loud, but she can hit back in battle, which helps her deal with it. Word of Cloudhead decrees! Though of course, Cloudhead!Xion would probably try to hit back whether she could or not… :)**

**Begin rambling. So, I looked it up, and as it turns out, there are only three SorShi fics (though one of them is written by good old Raberba Girl) and one VenShi fic. Even RokuShi only has 47 or something, which really surprised me. So, as it turns out, people don't ship Xion with the Soras nearly as much as I thought. The big pairing appears to be RikuShi, which made me sigh—Riku is an egocentric jerk, and I don't care how nice he gets later in the game, the whole 'Keyblade is sham' thing was really unnecessary. You deserve better, Xion! :) I'll have to remedy this on Valentine's Day. Say it with me: **_**Foreshadowing… **_**End rambling.**

**I hope you enjoyed this action-packed chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Again, any reviewer who can give a good, detailed critique on my action scenes will get a giftfic and my eternal gratitude.**

**Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune in for chapter five of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… Oh, it's only 2:37 AM. Heck, I have time to write a little more! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome to the fifth gripping chapter of Invader, a rollercoaster meant for the thrillseekers of the Kingdom Hearts fandom. I hope I've done satisfactory in making you feel excitement, for I am quite proud of this fic and I want it to do its job of entertaining you. :)**

**There isn't much to say today that isn't said in the Author Note for Panic, the latest chapter of Sea-Salt Stories. I'm glad FFN is up and running again, and I send a quick shoutout to the people in Los Angeles who were without power for a day. With that out of the way, time for chapter five, a brief breather chapter…**

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**Invader, Part Five—Operation Shadow Key**

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"So, you're telling me that six of you, armed to the teeth, were unable to take down a single unarmed man?"  
"No, Superior. We almost had him, but he escaped using a method similar to our dark corridors. We think this is why he seems to be everywhere at once. He's almost superhuman."  
"Let me emphasize my point, Number VII. There were _six _of you. A _lone man _not only dragged out the fight long enough to escape, but also _used your weapons against you, _which shouldn't have been even possible. And you think I'm going to just _let you off_ _the hook_ for this blatant incompetence?"  
"Everything except the last sentence is true. I take full responsibility for this. I should have made more contingencies, prepared better. I have failed you, Superior."  
"Indeed you have. Listen closely. I am going to give you one more chance to bring this man to me. Take as much time as you need. Bring as many members as you need. Approach the problem however you wish. But keep one thing in mind as you do. If you fail, if you do not take this man down, the consequences for your incompetence will be far more severe. XI has been eyeing your position for a while…"  
"I… understand, Superior."  
"Good. _Do not fail me this time."_

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Xion slammed her fist into the wall. She had hung her photo of the Figure right next to the window, and she hit the picture square-on. She felt the metal wall sting her hand, letting the sensation flow through her arm. Then she tore the photo from the wall and threw it on the ground, stomping on it repeatedly with the heel of her shoe.

She slid the photo along the floor until it ripped, then kicked it into the wall. Without thinking, she grabbed something off her bed and threw it at the photo, cursing its mere existence. She shut her eyes and stomped on the floor, gritting her teeth and growling at the heavens.

She stomped around her room, her arms stiff and her fists still in a ball. "It's just _one stupid guy!" _she screamed, not caring who or what heard her. "Why won't he just _stay down?! _How did he use my Keyblade? _How?!"_

Her eruption finally wearing off, she fell onto the bed, stuffing her face into the pillow. Out of energy for slamming anything, she hit the pillow with her head over and over, like Saix and his clipboard on a bad day. _Why? Why was he able to use the Keyblade? Why was he able to fight us off so well? Why do these things always happen to me? Why, why, why?!_

She heard her door creak open. "Go away, Roxas!" she yelled, assuming that he would try to 'help'.  
A deep voice responded, a voice she had once feared. "I'm not Roxas."

Xion shot up and saw that Saix was standing in the doorway. She covered her mouth for a moment to keep from sputtering. She stood up, old habits moving her. "I'm sorry, sir! I was just so…"  
Saix raised his hand, sighing. "I'm not here to punish you for the noise. Honestly, my reaction was similar, if a bit more… contained."  
Xion stood in the middle of the room, anger leaving her for the slightly shocked feeling from the confidence. "You get mad?"  
"No. Not truly, anyway. Without a heart, I am not capable of such emotion. But my memories of being mad, truly angry… they do spark something in me from time to time." He waved his hand dismissively. "That's not what I'm here about. I'm planning an emergency meeting of the Organization. When will you be calm enough to attend?"

Still in shock over the fact that Saix had confided in her, she checked her clock. "Can you give me an hour?"  
"Of course."

With that, the Luna Diviner quietly slid the door shut again. Xion sat on the floor, almost collapsing in a heap. Sometimes she had a hard time remembering that Saix had changed his mind about her, though really she had never felt comfortable enough to let her guard down in the first place. These sorts of things always sounded off coming out of his mouth, and would probably never stop sounding that way. It wasn't anything about his voice—just the fact that it was coming out of _him, _the man who used to make a point of referring to her as 'it' and 'puppet'.

She looked over to the torn photograph. It turned out that the object she had thrown at it was Thomas, her stuffed elephant. She remembered the day she had gotten it, before the decluttering job. The way Axel had looked at it, almost in recognition. The way Vexen had tried to ruin everything, only managing to make a fool of himself in the process. The way Axel said love was what she and Roxas made him feel.

She picked up Thomas and held him tight. Saix probably wasn't capable of feeling whatever Axel felt… right?

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Thirteen Nobodies stood in the meeting room that Saix had used as a briefing room the previous night. Now that Axel thought of it, it was the same room that Xion had used twice to plan vacation days. Was that intentional? But it couldn't be. Saix had no idea what anyone did on their days off. That was part of the point. Still, the coincidence was mildly creepy.

Saix slammed the model of the Figure into the middle of the table. "Let's start the meeting by getting straight to the point. This mystery man is our target. He is our goal. Everything we do from here on out revolves around capturing or, if it comes to it, killing this man. Keep that in mind, because the most important thing in strategy is to keep an eye on the real goal. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded their heads. "Good," Saix continued, pacing up and down the side of the table like a drill sergeant in a war movie. "Can anyone tell me why we must capture or kill this man?"  
Vexen slammed his fist on the table. "Because he attacked one of our number!"  
Axel rolled his eyes. "…And by 'one of our number', you mean you."  
"Luxord as well," Vexen replied smoothly.  
"Enough," Saix interjected. "That is a good answer. But if it was just that, we'd have him by now. There is another reason we must stop him, and it is also why we must do it quickly. He is impeding the construction of Kingdom Hearts. Every day we waste trying to deal with him, the day our hearts finally return to us is delayed by another day. Consider that your motivation."

It seemed to do the trick. Everyone reacted in some way. Xion stared murderously at the figurine on the table—of course, she had been doing that already, but the stare intensified. Saix kept pacing. "Now, we've tried cornering him and we've tried overwhelming him. Neither has worked very well, as I'm sure you know. I suggest a new strategy. Let's fight him on our home turf."  
Roxas' eyes went wide. "You mean you want to _let him in the castle?"  
_"That's the idea. There is no way he could possibly know this castle is even here, whereas we know it inside and out. We'd be hitting him with everything we have while he's still trying to figure out where he even is. He wouldn't stand half a chance."  
Axel whistled. "You scare me sometimes, Sai. Your brilliant master plans scare me."  
"Thank you." He rolled a floorplan of the Castle That Never Was onto the table. It was extremely intricate. It took up the whole table, and it had a section for every level. It all looked hand-drawn, too—Saix had clearly spent hours laboring over it.

Saix brought out the other figurines again. There was less of a reaction this time—Luxord laughed a bit, and Demyx inspected his likeness, going, "Coooooool!" The Luna Diviner swiped the Demyx figurine back and started setting up the map. It took him a minute to do this. When he was done, all the Organization XIII figurines were cornering the Figure against the window of the Grey Room.

"The Keybearers will accompany Axel on a mission to lure him into a dark corridor," Saix said, moving the sea-salt trio behind the Figure. "As soon as he falls through that portal, we will all attack him at once and without delay. Hopefully, he'll flinch or hesitate, and the fight will be over right there. If he manages to break out of the corner, though, we must try to keep him contained in the Grey Room. We all know it well, and it's small enough to keep him cornered while still being large enough for us to fight effectively."  
Zexion tilted his head. "And if he breaks out of the Grey Room somehow?"  
"Then we try to direct the fight towards areas where he will be at a disadvantage. Marluxia's greenhouse, Vexen's lab, areas like that. Remember, the castle actively resists intruders. The whole place will turn against him. The dusks alone will act as our antibodies as we move in for the kill."  
Luxord smirked, never losing his cool. "Already talking 'kill', are we?"  
"Only if it comes to that. The best-case scenario is that we capture him and bring him to the Superior. But we must be ready for anything. If he must be killed, then we must kill him. Is that understood?"

Most of the Nobodies nodded without hesitation. Axel took a moment to sigh before making a quick nod. Roxas and Xion shuddered—they had never actually _killed _anyone, and they hated the idea already. Eventually, though, they too nodded in compliance.

"Good. There are two more things to discuss. First, we must figure out how to get him in."  
Axel smiled. "That's easy. You want to send us three to get him in a portal? Catch him at the clocktower in Twilight Town. Ram him up against a wall. Open a dark corridor behind him and push him through. It's as easy as 1-2-3."  
"A simple, yet elegant plan. I didn't know you had it in you."  
Axel put his arms behind his head. "You don't play video games with these kids and not learn a thing or two about strategy."  
"In that case, remind me to force everyone to play with them at some point. Speaking of training, you'll all be going through martial arts training tomorrow before the operation. It should teach you how to cope if he disarms you."  
"That's the second thing?"  
"No."  
"Fudge…"

Saix grabbed the figurines again and placed them on the part of the map representing the roof. "Worst-case scenario is that he gets on the rooftop. He could escape easily if he gets up there. If that happens, then our only choice will be to join Xemnas in an all-out attack meant to kill him. We must do everything we can to keep him off the rooftop and to keep him from escaping. Understood?"

More nodding. Saix watched the heads bob up and down, the Organization XIII equivalent of a salute and a 'sir, yes sir!'

"Good. Now get some sleep. We wake up at six o'clock sharp. We want plenty of time to prepare. Organization XIII, commence Operation…" he looked at the Keybearers. "…Shadow Key."

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**Last word typed at 4:12 AM. That's would be because I also wrote a sea-salt story in the same night. But hey, I'm proud of them both, so it all works out in the end. :)**

**There are a lot of little things I'm proud of in this chapter. Like how I managed not to use any 'feeling' words during the first half of Xion's freakout scene ('angry', 'mad', etc.), letting her actions speak for themselves. It means I'm finally learning how to show, not tell! Of course, as I've said before, I am a bit biased. :) I'm still looking for critique, if you wish to help me improve. The review box is right down there, so show it some love!**

**I'm considering changing the format of chapter releases in the next story arc. At the moment, I'm posting a chapter once a day. My idea for the next big arc is to treat it like a TV show, releasing a new 'episode' every, say, Saturday at 6:00 PM, with Sea-Salt Stories getting a new story every other day of the week. I would test this with a smaller arc first. I mean, I can't be the only one imagining this as an anime drawn like the manga, right? :) Let me know what you think.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. The big reveal of the identity of the mystery figure is very soon, so if you want that giftfic, get cracking! It'll floor you, I promise. :)**

**Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune to this channel again tomorrow for Chapter Six of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… Yes, Roxas, you'll have plenty of screen time in the last three chapters. You're messing with the outro. That kid… :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome back to Invader, the ultimate in Kingdom Hearts suspense. That's what I hope I'm achieving, anyway. I think I've done well so far. :)**

**Yes, I am working my bottom off to bring you the sixth chapter of Invader. This chapter will be a milestone—it will make Invader officially longer than Castle Cleanup! *more confetti* Yesterday, I did some very rough math and realized that I've written over 30,000 words of KH fanfiction in total, over just a few weeks. Man, I'm prolific! :) FFN has truly become my go-to website. People of FFN, thank you all! You're a wonderful audience, and I'm proud to be in such great company.**

**And now, with that out of the way, it's time for the beginning of the climax…**

**DISCLAIMER: This chapter includes a Toy Story world, and as there is not one in the game, it is not covered by the first disclaimer. Toy Story belongs to Disney and Pixar. I do not stand to profit from this work in any way. Please include a Toy Story world in KH3, please. It's my first and favorite Disney/Pixar film, and I'd love to see Sora and friends running around in Andy's room. In fact, try to have a Pixar presence in general, if you can. Please? :)**

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**Invader, Part Six—The Last Straw**

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Training started early the next morning. Saix had chosen to devote a full day to the training session, to ensure that everyone got all the basic moves and one or two more advanced moves down pat before the mission. He was also planning to finally teach the Keybearers proper parkour before the end of the day, so that they could keep up with the Figure.

Both of these were easier said than done. To start with, Organization XIII did not generally use unarmed combat. As they were fighters who faced extremely hazardous duties every day, they were already proficient in basic punches and kicks, but they rarely practiced them and almost never actually used them. All of them could certainly bring down a random mugger without their weapons or powers, but a skilled combatant was another matter. Saix, luckily, knew karate and a little basic judo, and thus was able to act as a mentor for the Nobodies.

It was still a slow process, painful in multiple senses of the word. Case in point—when Demyx walked in, he immediately tried to chop a board like in the movies. All he broke was his hand. Saix had brought lots of potions and lots of Cure spells for this very reason. It was the first major injury that day, and it would not be the last.

The Keybearers took to unarmed combat with much talent, to everyone's surprise (and Vexen's chagrin—he wasn't even good at the basics). Roxas, in particular, seemed like he had done this before. He took out the practice dusks quickly and efficiently.

When Roxas made an impressive roundhouse kick, slamming one of the dusks to the floor, Saix nodded in approval. "Well done, XIII. Have you studied unarmed combat before?"  
He seemed to hesitate, but ultimately, he just shook his head as his fist collided with into a dusk's face.

Many found the training session to be quite satisfying. Having been the targets of dusk pranks for so long, the Organization was perfectly happy to use them as punching bags. Really, this was the reason for their recruitment as such—fun training was diligent training. As you might imagine, it sometimes got a little brutal.

For example, at one point Xion recognized a dusk that had once played a particularly nasty trick on her (or at least she thought she did—they were all completely identical). She threw the lesser Nobody to the floor and started hitting its face repeatedly. Even Saix found this slightly disturbing—the Keybearers were usually the sweetest kids in the worlds, and they were the only ones who felt some amount of sympathy for the dusks (though it was always miniscule).

As Saix made her move on, Roxas' eyes went wide. "Remind me never to make her mad."  
Axel's eyes were bulging out even more. "I thought we had talked about the temper thing. She's worse than Larxene when she's angry."  
Zexion looked up from the book he was sneaking a few pages of. "She's been very… temperamental… since this whole thing started."  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious. I'm talking to her…"

Axel walked over to his other Keybearer and put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay, Xi?"  
Xion looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"  
"You were a little… overkill on that dusk."  
"I'm just following along with the lesson." She smiled. "I have to be good at this to take that guy on."  
"I think you might want him more than Xemnas. Don't obsess over him. I've seen Angry Xi, and I prefer Cute Xi."  
Xion looked at her feet. "I'm sorry I've been so… what's the word…"  
"Moody?"  
She nodded. "Yeah, moody."  
Axel patted her on the shoulder again. "Don't worry about it. Just try to direct the rage toward fighting him rather than going off on everything, all right?"  
She smiled again and nodded. "Okay!"  
Axel beamed back. "That's the Xion I'm used to."

0=0=0=0=0=0

Within a few hours, everyone had the basic moves down. Saix watched as the Nobodies practiced more advanced moves. Despite the initial difficulty, they were still trained fighters, and learned fast.

Satisfied that the Keybearers were already proficient, Saix walked over to the sea-salt trio. "Axel, I want you to teach them parkour."  
Axel sighed deeply, as usual. "I've tried before, Saix. They don't do parkour." He made a 'stick figure' gesture with his hands, making it do runs and jumps and flips. "They don't do this."  
"Which is why you teach them. You tried once, in a place filled with difficult obstacles and stone ground. What were you expecting?"  
"And the castle is better?" He spread out his hands. "This whole place is _metal! _It's probably just as bad."  
"Then find a place that's softer. They will learn to do this, and it will happen today. Is that understood?"  
Axel grunted. "Fine, fine. If you want them to hurt themselves repeatedly, then there's nothing I can do." He waved to the Keybearers. "Come on, guys. We're going to try parkour again."  
Roxas looked terrified. "Parkour hurts!"  
"Not where we're going. Not much, anyway…"

0=0=0=0=0=0

Woody looked over the RC car. "Yeah, the new batteries are really working for you! I'm a bit busy right now, but I think Buzz would be happy to take you for a test spin."

As the little car vroomed in excitement and drove off, Woody checked his to-do list, a post-it note massively out of proportion to his body. His face fell when he realized that he had to work on dealing with the Heartless problem now. Andy had brought a huge bucket of the little troublemakers in a few weeks before, and they were not friendly. They tore up everything and were constantly trying to break the other toys, including Woody and Buzz. In addition, the last few playtimes had been unusually dark and violent, and the cowboy knew the Heartless had something to do with it.

But they were everywhere, and they kept coming. Some disgruntled Green Army Men had managed to beat a few, but the next day, more had taken their place. The toys were under siege, and Woody didn't know how much longer they would be able to hold out.

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise. _Vhoosh… _He turned toward the bed. What was that? It was suspiciously similar to the sound the Heartless made when they respawned. Sighing, he waved to some of the more muscled toys and walked toward the bed.

0=0=0=0=0=0

The Keybearers spoke in unison. "It's dark here."  
"Hold on a sec! There's a flashlight here, I think…"

Axel hit a button, and an oversized flashlight turned on, illuminating the area. Various things lied around—wrappers, crumbled paper, pencils and pens and crayons, lots of Lego blocks—and all of them were way bigger than they should have been.

Xion looked around. "Where are we?"  
Roxas blinked in recognition. "Oh, I remember this place. This is Andy's Room. Everything is really big. And the toys are alive."  
"The toys are _what?"  
_"That was what I said, too. They're not that bad, though. I guess this place is soft because of the carpet."  
Axel turned. "Exactly. And under this bed, there are lots of things to practice on, and no one comes under here. It's perfect."

Xion noticed something. "You look… shiny."  
Axel cringed. "Oh, great, I forgot, the place makes you plastic. How flexible do you feel?"  
Xion opened and closed her fist. "Just the same as usual. It still feels weird, though."  
"Well, good enough for me. Now, the first lesson is just the same as last time." He set a few Lego blocks in a row and pointed. "Jump over this. You can't do it normally, so use your arms to push you over."

The Keybearers ran at the bricks, jumped dramatically while grabbing the groves in the brand name, and became very successful in skidding along the floor on their faces.

Axel sighed. "Yeah, it takes a few tries to get it right."  
Roxas rubbed his face. "It feels like its itching and burning at the same time…"  
"That's called carpet burn. It's why you shouldn't skid across carpets. It's still nicer than scraping yourself all over stone."  
Xion stared up at the bed. "I don't know. The stone hurt, but at least the worst of it stopped fast."  
"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

The conversation was interrupted by a voice. "Who's there?"  
Roxas hid behind an empty tin for some trading card game. "It's that cowboy," he whispered. "What do we do?"  
Axel pulled Xion over. "You're doing it, Rox. You know the drill. Just stay low, and we'll be fine."

The cowboy—Woody, if Axel remembered correctly—walked under the bed, a few very large toy wrestlers trailing close behind. He walked around, occasionally tipping things over with his hat. "Whoever you are, I'm not here to hurt you or anything," he called out.

Xion, like her friends, did the usual procedure—breathing softly, crouching low, keeping her hood up. She did this very well until she caught sight of a familiar face. Or rather, a hidden face.

The Figure.

She gasped, accidentally grabbing the attention of both the Figure and Woody. The wrestlers walked over to the flashlight and turned it, catching the sea-salt trio like deer in headlights.

Xion still had her eyes on the Figure. She tried to resist the urge to attack, but her anger at him was just too great. She summoned her Keyblade (causing Woody to jump a bit) and ran at the Figure at full speed. He dodged, sending her careening into a sleeping teddy bear—well, the teddy bear had been sleeping until a girl with a giant key slammed into his belly. Before Xion could get her bearings again, the Figure had left in a sea-salt blue portal.

Without thinking, Xion threw her Keyblade against the wall, screaming in frustration. Woody just barely dodged it, holding tightly onto his hat. The Keyblade made a loud _clang _and hit the floor, covered in plaster. Xion put her hands over her mouth—she had just realized how much more complicated she had made everything.

This was the moment every Organization member hated. The cover was completely blown, the locals had seen weapons drawn, and now they were having a good look at the Nobodies. Worst-case scenario was that they realized, as a group, that they were being visited by an outside force, which made things a _lot _more complicated in future missions to that world. General protocol dictated one thing: _Convince them they saw something else, something mundane, then hightail it out of there as fast as you can._

Axel put his hands in the air. "Don't worry! It's all good. We're just some new toys. You don't see us much because we're trying to surprise the Heartless."  
Woody walked closer. "You're helping with the Heartless?"  
"Yeah," Axel continued, putting on his best acting skills. "We came in the same box they did. We're from a… TV show. We're supposed to be the hopelessly outnumbered heroes fighting back. There are ten others like us. You might see them around. Just pretend they aren't there. They need as much space as possible to fight the Heartless."  
Woody looked skeptical. "And that guy she ran at?"  
"That would be a… member of the Heartless leadership. He's a bit koo-koo. Thinks he's really the Heartless Commander, set to destroy the world. We're trying to take him down."  
Woody closed his eyes, as if remembering something. "…All right. Just don't throw those keys around too much, all right? Andy might notice collateral damage you cause."  
Axel nodded. "You betcha."

Satisfied, Woody waved to the wrestlers and walked off. He looked back one more time, his gaze lingering on Xion, before he disappeared back into the sunlit room.

Axel sighed in relief. "Come on, we have to go explain to Saix what happened."  
Xion looked down at the floor, eyes still as big as plates and her breathing a little shaky. "He doesn't have to know, does he?"  
"Yes, he does, Xion. He needs to know these sorts of things so he can adjust future missions to suit the new conditions. I'm sure he'll be all nice and understanding…"

0=0=0=0=0=0

"You saw the Figure?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"And you attacked him, despite the fact that your cover had just been blown and attacking would only make things worse?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"And despite the fact that when _six trained, armed men, including you, _took him on at once, he still managed to escape?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"…I really don't understand what part of this you thought would end well, Number XIV."

Xion kicked her legs, the uncomfortable chair being just a little too high for her. "I'm sorry, sir."  
Saix rubbed his face. "Sorry isn't going to cut it, XIV. Not this time."  
Xion gasped. "No, no, no, you can't…"  
The Luna Diviner raised his hand. "Don't worry, I'm not dusking you. I lost that desire long ago, and besides, you're still useful to us. But I am going to have to exact some punishment for this." He leaned across the desk, reminding Xion of how he used to be. "During Operation Shadow Key, including the initial mission in Twilight Town, you are to remain in your room with the door locked. Do not come out unless you are told to. If he comes in, you may attack him in every way you feel necessary. Otherwise, I don't want you getting in the way. Is that understood?"

Xion put her head in her hands. The Figure would be fighting her best friends, and she would be locked in her room, like a dog confined to its kennel when guests were coming. She wouldn't be able to help in the fight, and it was _her fault _for attacking when she would clearly lose, then throwing a fit when she did. _Everything was her fault, _and even her friends knew that denying it would be lying.

She sunk down in the chair, her head down. "Y-y-yes, sir."

0=0=0=0=0=0

**None of that was in the original outline. I think I just made the story a lot more interesting. :)**

**I'm bumping up the number of chapters to ten. Hear that, people? Only three more chapters to go until I'm done with this thing! *even more confetti* I am extremely proud of this fic. My writing only seems to get better every time I finish a chapter. Writing fanfiction has given me lots of useful practice, in areas I was not proficient in at all before, like action scenes and mystery. Thank you, FFN!**

**Writing this chapter, I realized that my characters are probably sighing enough to contribute to climate change with all the carbon dioxide coming out of their lungs. :P If anyone can suggest alternate ways to show exasperation, I will be extremely grateful.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. The big reveal is very soon, so get those guesses out there before the secret stops being secret…**

**Thanks for reading, and tune in next time for the seventh thrilling chapter of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… is this getting old? This might be getting old. No one has told me yet what it's referencing…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome to the seventh chapter of Invader, the most suspenseful chapter yet! **

**That's right, we are entering the final stages. The climactic battle is almost upon us. This has been an awesome story to write, and I thank you all for the continued support and praise! I'd especially like to give a shoutout to KaNugget, who came in from the WA forum and gave me an awesome, detailed review. Give her a big hand, everyone! :)**

**Thank you all, and strap yourself in, because it's time to hit the accelerator and go to Chapter Seven…**

0=0=0=0=0=0

**Invader, Part Seven—We're A Team**

0=0=0=0=0=0

"Are you sure about this, Saix?"

"I am absolutely certain, Number VII."

"Don't 'Number VII' me now, Saix. We three have a team, and Xion is an essential part of that team."

"She is letting her emotions—which she _shouldn't have, _by the way—get in the way of the mission. In this Organization, actions have consequences. I've punished Larxene for letting her temper get in the way before. What makes you think I would just let Xion get away with it?"

"Get away with it? Don't put words in my mouth. All I'm saying is that you should wait until after that guy is dealt with before punishing her."

"Xion is waiting out Operation Shadow Key. That is final, Number VII."

"…Fine, whatever. I thought you had changed, Saix."

"I have changed, Axel. I just haven't changed in every way you want."

0=0=0=0=0=0

Roxas ran over to Axel. "Did you convince him?"

Axel shook his head. "Nope. He's set on her staying."

"Will she be okay? I don't want that guy getting his hands on her."

Axel smiled a bit. "Listen to yourself, Rox. You're talking like a Somebody again."

"What do you mean?"

"You're being all protective of her. Don't worry, she can handle herself. Sometimes I wonder if you like her more than a friend."

"What? You mean I can like her more?"

Axel laughed and patted Roxas on the head. "You'll understand all this someday, Rox. For now, I'll tell you this. Someday, when you look at her, you'll understand. You'll just _know_. Got it memorized?"

Roxas nodded, even though he didn't look like he understood at all, or memorized anything. Axel shook his head in amusement as the two friends walked down the hall together, ready to take on the Figure and anything else that got in their way.

0=0=0=0=0=0

Xion sat in her room, head in her hands. This whole thing was just a sign of her stupidity, and she knew it. Why did she have to be such an _idiot _sometimes? She thought back to the conversation on the clocktower a few days before, but it didn't help. So what if she was good with the Keyblade? Trying to use it was what had caused this mess in the first place. So what if she could sing? The Figure wouldn't be taken down by the power of music.

Axel poked his head in. Xion looked up excitedly, but when he just shook his head, she went back to moping position, this time with her legs tucked in to her chest. Axel hated it when she was like this—he understood, sure, but she had to learn to bounce back up after getting knocked down. It was a basic life skill, and he was determined to teach her someday. Plus, she always looked the sad kind of cute, which tugged on his nonexistent heart pretty hard.

Axel sat down next to her and patted her on the shoulder. "Do you think you can talk to me before I head out?"

Xion dug her head into his arm. "Why am I stupid?"

"You're not stupid. I'd say you're smarter than at least half this Organization. We all make mistakes, Xi. You can't be perfect all the time."

"I feel like I have to be, though."

"Well, you don't. Realize that, and you'll feel a lot better about your life in general." Axel leaned in close. "Let me tell you something. Do you know why I tried to get Saix to let you come on the mission?"

Xion shook her head, digging herself closer. _Darn, _she was cute right now.

"Here's why. You, me, Roxas, we're a team. We build off each other. We just aren't the same without each other. We're the sea-salt trio, Xion. Never forget that."

Xion smiled. "Sea-salt trio. I like that."

"I like it a lot, too." The two sat together for a few minutes, like father and daughter in loving embrace.

0=0=0=0=0=0

Twelve Nobodies stood in the Grey Room, weapons drawn. On most days, this would mean something had gone very wrong. Today, it was the entire point. The ambush had been well-prepared, with each member having an assigned position. Xigbar, Xaldin and Larxene covered the doorways. Vexen, Zexion, Luxord and Demyx were all crouched down behind the couch, ready to act as support. Lexaeus and Marluxia were standing in the middle of the room, ready to pounce on the Figure as soon as he came into view. And Saix was right in front of the window, ready to be the first one to face the mystery man.

Saix stood in front of Axel and Roxas. "The Figure should appear soon after you arrive. It is imperative that you catch him and push him through as quickly as possible. He may escape otherwise. We might not get a second chance if he realizes that we are trying a new tactic."

Axel spun his chakrams in his hands. "Relax, Saix. We've got it covered. That guy won't know what hit him."

"That's the plan, anyway. Remember that I choose you two specifically because you're the best people I have. Prove that you're worthy of that reputation. Bring down this man."

"Ah, thanks, Sai. We can do this blindfolded. We're sort of a dynamic duo. Isn't that right, Roxas?"

Roxas looked up. "Yeah, dynamic."

"Axel, he wouldn't know what you're talking about if you plucked all your comic books down in front of him and he read them all."

Axel rolled his eyes playfully. "Like you're a big comic geek."

Saix opened the portal to Twilight Town, already tired of this banter. "I'm counting on you two. We all are."

0=0=0=0=0=0

Roxas looked up at the clocktower, watching the rays of orange light shine off the bells. "How long is this going to take?"

"Well, given his history, probably not long. Let's just get up there and get this over with. Do it fast, just like Saix told us."

Indeed, the Figure didn't take long to show up.

As soon as Axel and Roxas appeared on top of the clocktower, they caught sight of the signature tattered brown cloak. The Figure whipped around and ran at Roxas—he appeared to have an agenda this time. Roxas tried to hit him with the Keyblade, but as usual, the Figure dodgerolled under it.

But Axel was expecting that. His foot hit the Figure's head, stopping the roll in a quite humiliating fashion. "Not this time, buddy," he quipped.

Seemingly unfazed, the Figure rolled backwards and jumped up, fists raised in fighting position. Remembering the training session, Roxas threw kicks at him with a speed that would scare most. The Figure dodged them easily by jumping backward, but he could only move so far before running into the ledge. Roxas stabbed at him, hoping to push him off, but he rolled under it, moving horizontally now.

Axel threw up a wall of flame on the corner and the edge to box the Figure in. The Figure tried to open a blue corridor (as they had been dubbed), but Roxas managed to shoot off a Thundra spell, hitting the portal and shutting it down.

Realizing that he was running out of options, the Figure opened up with a flurry of punches and kicks, forcing Axel to step back. Then he grabbed Roxas and stuck the Keybearer's head in the flames, setting his hair on fire. The momentary distraction allowed the Figure to strike Roxas in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Axel gritted his teeth and made a flourish with his chakrams. "Oh, it's on now."

The Flurry of Dancing Flames spun wildly, forcing the Figure to duck down. Of course, ducking down allowed him to kick Axel to the ground. Axel hit the stone walkway hard, making a loud _thunk._

The Figure stood over the two. As he bent down to pick up Roxas, Axel jumped up and slammed him into the wall, motivated by pure fighting instinct. The Figure grunted with pain, the first real sound that had come out of his mouth since this whole mess had started back in Halloween Town.

Quickly, Axel opened a dark corridor and pushed the Figure through. As the Figure fell in, Axel almost thought he could catch a smile on the man's lips, as if all was going according to plan. It took Axel a terrifying second to realize why.

This was what he had wanted all along. The invasion had begun.

0=0=0=0=0=0

**Done! At **_**exactly **_**five o'clock, no less. :)**

**This chapter is a little short, because I have to be somewhere soon. Don't worry—the big fight scene is tomorrow, and it will be a lot longer. The climax is finally upon us. It's a very satisfying feeling to know I'm almost done. :)**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. The big reveal is in the next chapter, so this is the last day to get those guesses out there. Do you know who it is? If you do, say so!**

**Thanks for reading, and get ready for the epic climax of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… screw it, SUSPENSE! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome to the eigth chapter of Invader, a gripping tale for those who wish for suspense in their KH fanfiction. Strap in, because we're going for quite a thrill ride. :)**

**So, guess what I got? A copy of the original DS version of Days! I'm steeling myself to not actually play it until I finish this chapter, because once I actually start a new game, I'm not sure if I'll be able to stop. All for you, glorious readers! :)**

**Without further ado, it is time for Chapter Eight of Invader, for the big reveal and the 'Super-Awesome-Spectacular CGI Moment'…**

0=0=0=0=0=0

**Invader, Part Eight—All Fall Down**

0=0=0=0=0=0

Saix held his claymore casually, almost as one would hold a large stick. He did not fear the Figure, even insofar as a Nobody could feel fear. Twelve of them could take him down, especially on the home field. This was going to be easy. He would just deal with it now, and he'd never have to deal with it again, and he could move on with his life, such as it was.

In fact, faced with this tantalizing prospect, Saix was almost growing impatient. _Just come already, _he thought. _Just come and let me destroy you, let me swat you like an annoying fly._

As if on cue, a man in a tattered brown cloak fell through a dark corridor straight onto the floor in front of Saix.

Saix raised his claymore, but the Figure rolled out of the way just as he swung it down. Lexaeus and Marluxia were already charging, swinging their weapons. The Figure grabbed Lexaeus' arm as it came down on him, causing him to drop his tomahawk. He picked it up, swung around and threw it at Marlxia, knocking the Graceful Assassin to the ground, unconscious.

Xigbar had opened fire by now—_rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat! _The Figure ducked down, making the arrows miss him and hit Lexaeus. The Silent Hero stumbled for a moment, but being the five-hundred-pound gorilla of Organization XIII, he brushed it off and punched the Figure.

The Figure fell backward, only just managing to recover before Xigbar fired again. He rolled under the arrows, jumping behind a table and flipping it over for cover. Fortunately (except for him), this gave Larxene a chance to use her thunder and throw her knives. He just barely dodged both, almost managing to get to an open area of the room before Demyx hit him with his sitar.

Backed up against the wall, the Figure slowly shook his head. "You guys didn't fight fair last time, either!"

The line surprised everyone. This silent, dangerous mystery man sounded like a teenager. It became even more insane when the Figure finally gave up on the unarmed fighting act and summoned his weapon.

Xigbar gaped. "You have got to be _kidding me!"_  
Saix just stared. "What?"

The Figure was now holding a Keyblade.

0=0=0=0=0=0

_Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!_

Without the danger of battle in front of her to distract her, Xion screamed at the sudden burst of gunfire from below. Her room was right above the Grey Area, meaning she could hear everything. She fought back against the initial fear, only to find it replaced by anger. Who did this guy think he was, starting this whole mess in the first place? Saying she's not supposed to be there, frustrating her at every turn…

She stopped herself. She couldn't get mad again, not this time. It was like Saix had told her—if she let her anger with the Figure get the better of her, she would only get in the way of the group trying to stop him.

But she had a hard time finding another emotion, other than the fear and panic all the noise had brought on. That was just as bad, if not worse. Xion realized why she had given into anger so much over the past few days—it felt better than the sensation she got from being scared of him. With anger, an explosion was being released, and it was being directed at a tangible goal. With fear, it felt like she was _about _to explode, but it just wouldn't happen.

Xion summoned her Keyblade by instinct, but resisted the urge to go running out the door or into the closet. Instead, she decided to try a new tactic. She stood in place, her eyes closed tight, holding the Keyblade out in front of her with both hands, breathing as deeply as she could manage. She remembered a lesson Axel had given her once on controlling fear.

She brought the words into her head with perfect recall. _Next time you're scared, just run through a quick checklist. Are you alive? _Well, clearly she was alive, or else she wouldn't be thinking about the checklist.

_Are you actually injured? _No, of course not. Other than the panicky feeling trying to take over, she felt fine.

_Are you in danger of being hurt right this very second? _No. The Figure was still downstairs. The other members were fighting him off. It could be some time before he made it up. She was starting to calm down now.

_Is anyone else in danger of being hurt right this very second? _Well, yes. The Figure was a dangerous man. Panicky thoughts started to bubble up in her again—were Axel and Roxas okay? What if he could take them all down just as easily as last time?

She forced herself to skip to the last part of the lesson. _And if it is an emergency, then still don't panic. That only makes everything worse for everyone. You probably have more time than you think. Just breathe nice and easy and use that brain of yours._

Breathing as deeply as she could and trying hard to ignore the noise level down below, she looked around the room. Actually, as long as she used it as an ambush site rather than a place to hide and cover her ears, the closet wasn't that bad of an idea. If the Figure came, she could rush out and take him by surprise.

The smile on her face felt odd, almost forced, but she was smiling anyway. She was actually staying calm for once, rather than running around or throwing anything. She could handle this.

On the spur of the moment, she grabbed Thomas the Elephant and put him in her coat pocket before rushing into the closet for the ambush. She liked stuffed animals for two reasons. First, most of them were incredibly cute, and she loved cute things. Second, the feeling of the soft, cotton-filled creatures on her person helped her stay calm…

0=0=0=0=0=0

Axel shook Roxas. "Hey! Rox! Roxas! Wake up!"

Roxas' eyes opened slightly. "Axel, what just happened?"

"That jerk set your hair on fire and threw you to the ground!"

After making sure his hair was no longer on fire (it was just a bit singed), he grit his teeth. "How long was I out?"

"About a minute. I used a Cure spell, so you'll be fine. Come on, we have work to do."

0=0=0=0=0=0

Saix resisted the urge to say something like _this cannot be! _That was usually what the villain in a bad action movie said before being defeated, and besides, clearly it could be, because it _was. _

Instead, he put on a steely gaze. "So. The true Keybearer has come."

The Figure made a flourish with his Keyblade. "Shut up, Saix. Just tell me where Roxas is!"

Saix kept staring into the place he supposed the Figure's eyes would be. "Back in Twilight Town. I would have thought that someone worthy of that weapon would be at least smart enough to know that."

Just then, Axel and Roxas ran into the room via dark corridor, weapons drawn. Axel gasped (a rare sight, indeed), and Roxas just gaped.

The Figure raised his hand. "Roxas. I'm here to help you out. These people are not good people. These are the bad guys."

Roxas stopped gaping and growled, remembering all the previous days and weeks and months he had spent in Organization XIII. "That's not true! What gives you the right to say that?"

The Figure flipped his hood down. "The fact that I'm your Somebody. That's what."

Roxas just stared. The Figure looked just like him, but his hair was brown instead of blond. If they dyed their hair, they could impersonate each other with no one being the wiser. What the heck was going on?

Sora grinned. "What? You were expecting someone less awesome?"

0=0=0=0=0=0

_*BZZT*_

"_Sora, you lazy bum!"_

_Sora sat up and rubbed his head. He looked around—yeah, he was still on Destiny Islands. But what had that dream been all about? It had felt so real, so visceral. Those shadow creatures, the voice, images in stained glass played in his mind. It all felt like recalling real memories, rather than just a dream._

_But it was so weird. It had to be a dream… right?_

_*BZZT*_

0=0=0=0=0=0

Roxas fought off the weird images invading his mind and gritted his teeth. He swung his Keyblade in the air, trying to be as intimidating as possible. Then, he got into fighting stance.

"I don't know who you are, but you're going down, and it's happening right now!"

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**Dun-dun-dun! Sorry, couldn't resist. :)**

**Yup. It was Sora the whole time. Were you expecting that? I think not! I tried to make it so that it would be a shock without being totally out of left field, with little hints that only another read-through with prior knowledge would catch, just like any good twist. Be sure to let me know how I did with that.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Giftfic for someone who can give a good critique of my twist-writing skills.**

**Thanks for reading, and tune in next time for the exciting almost-conclusion to Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… Okay, just guess what I'm referencing if you don't know, all right? This was probably old six chapters ago. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yup, you clicked the right link. The ninth chapter of Invader, the ultimate in KH thrills, is **_**finally **_**uploaded for your reading pleasure, and we can resolve that darn cliffhanger. :)**

**Before I begin, I would like to send a quick shoutout to v.t.7, who has written a story set in the Reluctant Father universe which I have declared canon. Hop over to her profile and check that out, if you please. It's just fluff, but it's cute and fluffy and fun (in other words, similar to Sea-Salt Stories, but the opposite of this :P ). Also, Baby Roxas and Xion. Enough said. :)**

**And now, the real climax, plus one more big reveal…**

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**Invader, Part Nine—Bright Destiny  
**

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"I don't know who you are, but you're going down, and it's happening right now!"

Sora looked at Roxas with a sad expression on his face. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Roxas. I really am."

Before Roxas could respond, Sora raised his Keyblade in the air and cast Thundra, sending lightning bolts around the room. Everyone ducked for cover, and the bolts missed, but it gave Sora enough of an opening to charge at Roxas. Axel caught Sora's Keyblade mid-swing with his chakram and kicked the lookalike away.

Sora fell straight into the arms of Xaldin, who pointed all his lances at the boy's chest with his wind powers. He snorted. "If that's all you've got, then this is going to be easy."

"You wish." Sora elbowed Xaldin in the gut, causing him to stumble, before swinging around and knocking him out with the Keyblade.

Still outnumbered ten to one, Sora ran towards the hallway. Xigbar, who was standing in the doorway, opened fire again, but Sora dodgerolled under the arrows, jumped up and hit him in the head, taking him down as well. Luxord tried to corner him with his cards, but Sora actually swung down on the card rising up to block the stairwell, ripping it in half. He cast Blizzard on Luxord as he ran up, freezing the man.

The remaining eight Nobodies ran up the stairs after Sora as fast as they could, with Roxas leading the charge…

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Xion heard the footsteps coming up the stairs and got ready. She was ready for this. No matter what happened, the Figure was going down. Xion would see to it if she had to.

A boy who's hair looked like a brunette version of Roxas' ran in and slammed the door, locking it shut. Without thinking, Xion pounced, swinging her Keyblade at his gut with cool precision. The boy was taken by surprise, and slammed into a wall. Xion pinned him with the Keyblade and got up close to his face.

"Who are you?" Xion screamed. "Tell me now!"

The boy raised a hand to his face. "Okay, my name's Sora. This is not the proper way to make greetings."

Xion got closer, dropping her voice to a dark, Axel-like tone. "All right, Sora. You're going to go to nice Mister Xemnas, but first I want you to answer a few questions."

Sora gritted his teeth. "I'm not your enemy, Xion. I'm only—"

Xion hit her Keyblade against the wall, making a loud _clang. _"First question! How do you know my name?"

Sora closed his eyes. "Because… I've met you before. It's really complicated. All you need to know—"

Xion hit the wall again. "When did we meet?"

"It's a long story, Xion."

"Now that I've got you pinned, we have all the time in the worlds."

Just then, the door burst open. A burst of flame flew in, and the other two sea-salt trio members walked through the doorway, making flourishes with their weapons. Xion turned instinctively, giving Sora a chance to grab her and put her in a headlock. He seemed to be trying to be as gentle as possible, but Xion still found his arm painful.

"Okay," Sora said, sighing. "Stop right there or I run off with her. Don't think that I won't."

Roxas and Axel stopped in their tracks. Roxas made another flourish with his weapon. "Let her go!"

"I wish I could, but I have a lot of explaining to do, and I need to make sure you'll listen. What you need to—"

Xion kicked backwards, hitting Sora in the crotch with the heel of her shoe. He stumbled backwards, and Axel was on him immediately, grabbing the collar of his robe and lifting him above the ground. Sora summoned his Keyblade again and stuck Axel in the head, making him let go. Sora fell down and kicked his legs, and Axel hit the floor, unconscious.

Saix had entered the room by now, and swung his claymore hard. Sora actually jumped over it, flipping in the air and landing behind Saix. Saix didn't let his steely gaze off his adversary for a moment, swinging his claymore again as Sora landed. Sora ducked under it, and the claymore made a dent in the wall.

Lexaeus moved in to punch him just as he got up, but Sora dodged it and roundhouse kicked him, knocking him into the wall, his body falling limp with the impact. Before Zexion could cast Heal and get everyone back in the fight, Sora ran up to him, grabbed his head and slammed him down to the floor, picking up his lexicon and bringing it down on him to make sure he stayed down. Vexen moved in with his shield, but Sora grabbed it and slammed his face, knocking him down.

Sora grabbed Demyx's and Larxene's heads and knocked them together. They both fell to the ground, and Sora ran out of the room and back into the hallway. Saix, Roxas and Xion ran after him, firing off Blizzard and Blizzara in an attempt to freeze him in place. Of course, Sora dodged them with just as much ease as he had every other projectile up to this point.

Sora was practically soaring up the staircase. Saix knew immediately that the worst-case scenario was upon them.

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Xemnas stood calmly, arms raised to Kingdom Hearts in the usual fashion. He was not fazed by the sounds of battle below. He trusted that his subordinates would be able to take the Figure down.

Apparently, his trust was misplaced. The door behind him burst open, and a brunette wielding a Keyblade ran out onto the rooftop, with Saix and the Keybearers following close behind. Xemnas turned around and summoned his Ethereal Blades.

He locked eyes with Sora. "I have had enough of this game, True Keybearer. Surrender, or you will suffer."

The boy gritted his teeth. "I hate you. I've always hated you. I always will hate you."

"And why should I care?"

"Because it means you don't stand a chance!"

Saix grabbed him from behind, blocking him from kicking with the claymore. "Rule of combat. Less talking, more fighting."

Sora swung the Keyblade into Saix's head, knocking him out just like the rest of them. _Pathetic, _Xemnas thought as he charged forward to deal with the situation himself.

The two blades clashed together, creating sparks. Xemnas used his other Ethereal Blade to swing at Sora's legs, but Sora just hopped over it did a backflip, using Xemnas as leverage. If Nobodies could be enraged, then Xemnas would have been beyond furious. He shot off several spells, but Sora just dodged them.

The Keybearers ran in with their weapons spinning. The last stand began.

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_*BZZT*_

"_Ahead lies something you need, but to claim it, you must lose something dear."_

_*BZZT*_

_The hooded man spoke calmly. "Riku? I defeated a Riku once."_

_*BZZT*_

_Sora stared at the raven-haired girl in front of him. "Who are…"_

_*BZZT*_

"_You're sure you want to do this?"_

"_I need him, Namine. If we're going to take down Xenahort, then we need all the help we can get."_

"_It's very dangerous, and it may take longer than you think. He was dedicated to Organization XIII. He also had two very close friends."_

"_What do you mean, two?"_

"_You'll have to find that out for yourself. The memories… they would take too long to reconstruct, and I can't just tell you. It doesn't work that way. You know that."_

"_Look, I'm going, and you can't stop me."_

"_In that case, I wish you luck, Sora."_

_*BZZT*_

0=0=0=0=0=0

Xion blinked. What just happened? The hooded men had sounded like Marluxia and Roxas. And that girl… was that _her? _She shook her head to shake off the strange images, just like she always did when they came. But they had distracted her long enough for Sora to kick Roxas to the ground. He wasn't knocked out—Sora had gone easy on him for some reason—but he did cry out in pain.

Xion and Xemnas charged at Sora at the same time, forcing him to duck down again. Xemnas swung his Ethereal Blades at Sora's head, but he deflected the blades and performed another knockout blow with the Keyblade. Xemnas fell slowly, as if time and gravity didn't really care when he hit the ground.

Roxas had gotten up now, and the two Keybearers stood to each side of Sora. The boy breathed heavily. "Listen. I know you both hate me now. Honestly, I don't blame you. But you have to listen to me."

Xion was about to just charge at him again when something occurred to her. Everyone had tried the obvious charge, and everyone—_including Xemnas—_had been used to mop the floor. Clearly, a new plan was needed.

Xion raised her hand and waved to the left, hoping Roxas understood her plan. "Fine. Talk fast, Sora."

"I'm here to help you two. These guys are not good guys. Your relationship with them will end badly for both of you."

Xion glanced to Roxas, who was following the plan perfectly, then back to Sora. "How do you know?"

"It's hard to explain. I'll just cut to the chase here. I'm from the future."

Xion made a point of rolling her eyes dramatically. "Yes, and Vexen is my bestest friend in all the worlds. Try again."

"That's the real story. I have no reason to lie to you. Back in my home time, the worlds are in danger, and I need all the help I can get."

"Why should we help you?"

"Because I'm your Somebody." He sighed. "I think I'm _both _of your Somebodies."

Xion rolled her eyes again. "Roxas, I can believe. Axel says that's how Nobody names work. But your name is Sora, not Ion or Noi or whatever stupid name I had when I was a Somebody. And you're a boy."

"I don't know what that's about, but it's probably really complicated. I just have a gut feeling, all right?"

Xion nodded to Roxas. "Nice try. Your time is up."

"Huh?"

Roxas hit Sora in the back of the head.

Sora fell to the ground, clutching his head and howling in agony. The Keybearers stood over him, raising their Keyblades for the final strike. "I've wasted enough time listening to you," Xion said, a very scary tone filling her voice. "I hate you, Sora. I hate you. I hate you, and now I'm going to beat you up. You wanted us to come to the future with you? Maybe you should have done a better job of not hurting us."

Sora gritted his teeth. "Namine was right, then. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. I'm sorry, Xion. I'll come back."

Xion swung her Keyblade down just as Sora disappeared in a flash of sea-salt blue light.

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**Time travel. I'll let you sit on that for a bit… :)**

**Yup. A time-traveling Sora came in from post-DDD and tried to rescue his Nobodies. And he was **_**horrible **_**at doing it. Personally, I think this fits right into the rest of this convoluted game. :P Anyway, this story was meant to turn the Reluctant Father universe into something bigger, and this is what's going to start my quest to rewrite 358/2 Days and flat-out just write KH3. Hey, Square Enix, if you're reading this right now, take notes. Or not—we do want to be surprised, after all. :)**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Reviewer Question Time: How should Sora have gone about this? Preferably in some way that doesn't set Roxas' hair on fire or pisses off Xion so much that she tells him she hates him? Best answer gets a good old giftfic, because I am the one who is awesome like that.**

**Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune in for the final chapter of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in… well, I'm kind of out of suspense, so maybe just interest? :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**At last, we reach the final chapter of Invader. I have to say, I am very proud of myself for finishing this. Big projects like this are not generally my forte, but this has made me a lot better at them. **

**I would like to thank you, the readers, for helping me see this through with your constant praise and support. Writing this was worth it in so many ways, and I couldn't have done this without you. And a very, very special thank-you to Disney and Square, who created the awesome game that led to this awesome story. Mr. Nomura, you rock. :)**

**And now, the conclusion…**

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**Invader, Part Ten—New Day**

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_Clang!_ The Keyblade struck the ground, making a very impressive noise but ultimately hitting nothing. The sound echoed across the rooftop, and perhaps would have been heard in the dark city down below, had anyone been there to hear it. Soon, the echo faded, and silence passed over the World That Never Was. The only sound left was the sound of panting breaths.

After a long moment, Roxas put away his Keyblade and turned to Xion. "Where'd he go?"

Xion took a deep breath. "I don't care… as long as… he doesn't come back." She lifted her Keyblade onto her shoulders. "Come on. We've got twelve people to wake up. Xemnas gets first dibs, because he's the leader."

Roxas nodded and casted Heal on the Superior. After a moment, Xemnas rose to his usual position, floating just off the ground. He did this before opening his eyes. He took in a breath, composing himself.

He looked the Keybearers in the eye. "Sora. Has he been… dealt with?"

The Keybearers glanced at each other, then nodded. "Yes, Superior," Xion said. "He's gone."

"In that case, our work is done." He turned back to Kingdom Hearts and raised his arms in the air. "Leave me. I have much to consider."

Roxas and Xion nodded and woke Saix. Together, they left the rooftop without another word.

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For Xion, the next few hours were something of a blur. They went around the castle, using spells and potions to wake up the rest of the members. Axel was relieved to see they were okay, but everyone else was still dazed from the battle. After Marluxia had been revived, Saix ordered that everyone went to their rooms to recover. Xion walked to her room, made it to her bed and flopped down face-first. She was asleep before her brain could even register that she was on the bed.

She was out cold for fifteen hours straight.

The next morning, some small part of her waking brain found the light switch. _No, _she thought, snuggling her head under the pillow. _Don't want to wake up… still so tired… don't want to…_

When the attempts at falling back asleep proved futile, she sighed and did a half-hearted kick with her legs, testing her muscles. In her post-battle stupor, she had forgotten to take off her Organization uniform, and now she regretted it. She was sweaty from the heat of the black-on-black outfit, and it made her feel even heavier than she usually did just waking up. It also acted as a blanket, and made her want to sleep more. She would have welcomed this just a second ago, but now she was trying to get up. _Make up your mind, brain._

After a minute or two of experimental flailing, she managed to gather the strength and consciousness to push herself up and open her eyes. Everything was too _bright, _and she shut her eyes again. After a few seconds, she opened them slowly, letting the light into her mind to wake herself all the way up. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. _Okay. He's gone. Won't be seeing him again. I can move on now. New day._

She turned to the clock. It was seven in the morning. She decided to take this as an excuse to sleep some more and let her body slump on the bed again. Once it became clear that she had woken herself up too much to fall back asleep, she moaned and intentionally rolled off the bed. This was probably not her best idea ever. She hit the metal floor, grunting as a jolt of pain shot through her head. She was pretty sure she'd be fine, but it still hurt just as bad as any failed parkour.

Once the pain subsided, she stood up and put on a fresh uniform. When she opened the door, she noticed a note. She pulled it off the door and read.

_Lord Xemnas has called a meeting. Get to the Round Room as soon as you're ready. After the meeting, everyone has the day off._

It was signed with Saix's signature crescent moon, with the Roman numeral 'VII' written next to it, along the curve. Xion crumpled the paper absentmindedly. She didn't feel like listening to Xemnas ramble for an hour or more. On the other hand, another day for Beautiful Things afterward did sound nice. She tossed the paper in the waste bin and walked toward the Round Room.

When she got there, Xemnas and Saix were already there, no doubt discussing Important Organization Things she probably wasn't supposed to know about. She was about to walk off and find something else to do until the others arrived when something Xemnas said caught her attention.

"Number XIV was better at subduing this man than you were. Can you explain why that is, Number VII?"

Xion decided that a little discreet eavesdropping couldn't hurt. She hid behind the wall next to the doorway.

"I assure you, Superior," Saix said, sounding just slightly less calm than usual. "Sora only managed to hit me because he took me by surprise. No matter who took him out, at least he's been dealt with."

"How am I to know that, Number VII? There was no body. He could have flown away for all we know."

"I'm sure the Keybearers will provide a full report if you request them to do so."

"Then I shall wait until I hear the report to decide what to do with you." Xemnas paused. "Actually…"

Before Xion could realize what was happening, she was standing in the middle of the room, as if teleported there, and her feet were surrounded by a dark mist that held them in place. Not that such bonds were necessary—the intimidating stature of Xemnas on his throne was enough to petrify her.

Xemnas stared at her, no emotion showing on his face. "…It would seem that Kingdom Hearts has given us an opportunity to learn what happened."

Xion gasped. "Su-su-superior, I didn't mean to—"

"I do not care what you meant to do. Number XIV, tell me exactly what happened to Sora, and maybe I won't deafen you for the day for eavesdropping."

Xion twiddled her fingers nervously. "Um, after you got knocked out, we surrounded him. He said he was from the future and—"

Xemnas raised his eyebrow. "The future? Do not lie to me, XIV. You will regret it."

"But…"

"Superior."

Xemnas turned to Saix. "Yes, VII?"

"Do let her continue. Surely, she has no reason or will to lie to you in this situation."

Xemnas stared Saix down, then turned back to Xion. "Fine. Continue your explanation, XIV."

Xion took a deep breath. "…We pretended to listen to him until Roxas could get around behind and hit him. I… hit him with my Keyblade. He vanished just as I hit him."

Xemnas probably suspected that that last part wasn't the _whole _truth, but luckily, it was close enough for him. He waved his hand, releasing Xion's feet from the mist. "Thank you for your… promptness. Take your seat. You will still be deafened while we talk, but you'll be able to hear again once the others start arriving."

She nodded and dark corridored up to her seat. Indeed, she could no longer hear the two Organization leaders talking, or anything else—Xemnas could do pretty much whatever he liked with his nothingness, and he loved doing it when he got the chance. She decided to use the sudden quiet to recover. She closed her eyes and breathed deep breaths. After a few minutes of this, she tried to stop herself, but it was just too relaxing.

_Can't sleep in the Round Room, _was her last thought before she nodded off again.

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The meeting was just as long and dull as usual. Xemnas said nothing they didn't already know. Roxas spent most of the time with his eyes on Xion—once she was sure Xemnas was far enough into his monologue not to notice them, she told Roxas what had happened, and she looked shaken. He found himself wondering whether he should confront the Superior, even though he knew he could do nothing. For a moment, he even fantasized about punching Xemnas in the face.

He shook these musings from his head and patted Xion on the shoulder—her seat had been squished up against Roxas', since there wouldn't be much room for a fourteenth seat otherwise. "You okay?"

Xion looked up, a little surprised, and nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't that bad, really."

Roxas tried not to scowl at his Superior. "It was still sadistic of him. He wouldn't have done it to anyone else."

Xion shrugged. "Yeah, fair enough. But I'm fine, really. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I'll be all right."

"I know. It's just… I don't know what to think of him. I don't know what to think of this whole Organization anymore." A strange instinct motivating him, Roxas bent down and lightly kissed Xion on the top of the head. She blinked, then smiled.

Sora's words played in Roxas' mind. _These people are not good people. These are the bad guys…_

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Axel's reaction was a bit stronger.

After he found out, he had elected to spend a few minutes in his room. He picked up a conveniently uneaten bowl of cereal and threw it against the wall, shattering it and splattering food around the point of impact. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Xemnas, you have no clue how much I hate you right now," he mumbled to himself.

Saix slowly opened the door. "Axel, I'm reasonably certain what has you upset. I don't care. Just please don't throw things at my wall. The soundproofing isn't perfect."

Axel clenched his fists. "What do you know, Saix? You still hate her. I know you do. It never truly went away. You were probably glad to see her finally get 'punished in a proper manner'."

"No, I wasn't. I thought the Superior's actions were unwarranted. He could have just made her leave the room."

"And you didn't mention it to him, at all?"

Saix threw out his open hand, an unusually empathetic gesture for him. "Confront Lord Xemnas? That's impossible."

Axel took another breath. "You were always his toy soldier, Saix. We're all his toy soldiers. I thought you would have realized that by now."

Saix closed his eyes. "I do realize that. To me, what matters is that this game will end with all of us having hearts."

"I don't think it's going to be all you're cracking it up to be."

Saix slowly walked away. "Sometimes," he whispered. "I wonder that myself."

0=0=0=0=0=0

When Axel got to the clocktower, the Keybearers were already there, chatting away. Axel sat to the left of Xion this time, rather than next to Roxas. Fatherly instincts were beckoning him, though he had never been such a thing even as a Somebody.

Xion handed him a bar of sea-salt ice cream. "Are you okay?"

Axel smiled a little. "That's my Xion, always thinking of the other guy first. I'm more worried about you."

"I told Roxas, I'm perfectly fine. It really wasn't that bad."

Axel breathed a deep sigh. "Yeah, it kind of was. I'm mad, Xion. I'm mad at Xemnas for doing it. I'm mad at Saix for letting it happen. I'm mad at this whole Organization for treating you like dirt."

Xion looked him in the eye—that always set off the puffball tendencies in him. "Like how I was mad at that Sora guy?"

Axel remembered the cereal bowl, thinking of Xion in Andy's Room. "Yeah. A lot like that."

Xion put her hand on his leg. "Don't make the same mistakes I did. Sora's gone. We can move on. I want to move on."

Axel pulled her close as the sun set over the horizon. "I want to move on, too."

0=0=0=0=0=0

"You really should have thought that through."

"I'm not in the mood, Riku. I'm really not in the mood right now."

"…What now?"

"What we always do when we hit a snag. Plan B."

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**THE END**

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**Is it done? It's done. OMG, IT'S DO—*explodes* :)**

**Finally! After much hard work, Invader has concluded, with a TV season finale-style cliffhanger, no less. I thank you all again for helping to bring this awesomeness about with your praise. You guys are the best. :)**

**I hope you enjoyed the Invader storyline. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. You know, I kind of want a Reluctant Father TV Tropes page. If someone could make one, I'd be amazingly happy and grateful. We can all dream… *hint hint, wink wink* :)**

**Thanks for reading, and be sure to keep watching my profile for the next chapter of the Reluctant Father!**


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